


Symbiosis

by toswimamongthestars



Category: Batman (Movies - Nolan), Dark Knight Rises (2012)
Genre: Angst, F/M, I'm Bad At Tagging, Mild Hurt/Comfort
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-01-06
Updated: 2015-01-06
Packaged: 2018-03-06 07:19:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 657
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3125831
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/toswimamongthestars/pseuds/toswimamongthestars
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Talia and Bane share a moment before the mask is put on.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Symbiosis

Before the mask is fitted onto Bane, Talia requests a few minutes of privacy with her friend. She sits on the edge of his bed, her fingers rubbing the back of his hand. There is a needle in his wrist, feeding him morphine.

“The mask will allow you to move around again,” she tells him. Her voice is light, soft; if she speaks more surely, she may cry. “You’ll be able to train with me.” The information is more for her own benefit than for Bane’s. He knows these things already, she just needs to hear it again. “You won’t be in pain with it on,” she assures him, and he nods, smiling a little for her.

The mask itself is almost for Talia’s benefit rather than Bane’s. If not for Talia, Bane would not care whether he lived or died. It is only for her sake that he accepts the painkillers.

Tears prick her eyes, and Talia ducks her head for a moment. This will be the last time she will see his face free of pain. After this, if he removes the mask for longer than a few seconds, he'll be in anguish again.

His hair has been shorn off in anticipation of the mask, and skin grafts have repaired his torn features. He looks now almost the same as he had in the Pit. His blue eyes haven't left her face the whole time.

She wipes at her eyes. “My friend...”

“Talia.” He squeezes her hand, understanding. He knows the guilt she feels. “It's all right.”

“It's not. I should have found him faster, come back for you sooner. If you had, maybe I could have--”

“You couldn't have prevented it. The damage was done when you left, little dove.”

She smiles a little at his old name for her. “I'm not little any more, Bane.”

“You are always little.” It is true. When he stands, he towers over her with his bulk.

Talia's smile fades, and she reaches out, touching his cheek. This is the last time. It rings though her head like a death knell, and she tries to tell herself that faces aren't so important. But to never see that smile again...

“Talia.”

She closes her eyes, trying to memorize the sound of his voice. After the mask, it won't be the same.

“It's almost time,” he murmurs. Talia nods, her heart clenching. She shifts position, moving further onto the bed and leaning against Bane's wide chest, hugging him as best as she can. His arms wrap around her carefully, comfortingly heavy.

_Never again_ , she thinks, and lifts her head to look at his face. Their eyes meet for a moment, then she leans closer, and presses her lips to his.

There is a tap on the closed door, the warning that they need to begin the procedure. She starts to pull away reluctantly, but Bane follows her, and the kiss goes on, neither one willing to let go.

Another knock, this one more insistent. They part, and Talia hugs him again before rising and going to the door. She admits the doctors, who waste no time in moving in their instruments. She watches until she is required to leave, and even then, she hovers in the doorway a moment, gazing at Bane.

He smiles at her. “I'll see you soon, Talia.”

She nods. “Yes. Goodbye.”

“Goodbye, little dove.”

 

The next time she hears his voice, it is mechanical, breath hissing and tones distorted.

She touches the metal tubes delicately, looking into his eyes. He stares back at her, and more words are shared in their gaze that could ever be said.

Faces do not matter, she decides. They are together, and they are alive. That is all they need.

“Are you ready to begin your training, my friend?”

He nods, and the corners of his eyes crinkle with the smile she can't see. “As long as you are beside me.”

**Author's Note:**

> This was posted a while ago on fanfiction.net under my now-dead quicksilverlilies13 account. This version's freshened up and better.


End file.
